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Today’s topics include a new smartphone customer service from Sprint, leaked images of LG’s new smartphone, pressure on Qualcomm executives from activist investor Jana Partners and more speculation regarding Intel’s plans to build out its mobile capabilities.
Sprint wants to help make buying a new smartphone easier for its customers with a new Sprint Direct 2 You service that takes customer service to an extreme.
Under Sprint Direct 2 You, a company employee personally drives your new phone to you, shows you how to set it up and use it, moves your contacts and other data from your old phone to the new one and helps with other questions about the device. The company launched the new nationwide service on April 13 starting in its hometown of Kansas City.
LG was going to unveil its latest flagship G4 smartphone later in April, but images and details about the phone were accidentally revealed through a prelaunch Website that inadvertently went live early.
The leaked images and details, which have since been pulled back by LG, revealed a flat version of the curved LG Flex 2 smartphone that the company launched earlier. It is also available with leather coverings to give it a more luxurious appearance, according to an April 13 story by The (London) Mirror.
Activist investor Jana Partners is pushing Qualcomm executives to separate its chip business from its patent-licensing unit, part of a larger effort to increase the company’s stock price, change how executives are paid and return more money to its shareholders.
Jana officials also want Qualcomm to cut costs and increase stock buybacks, among other measures, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Reports that negotiations between Intel and Altera have failed didn’t end speculation that Intel intends to acquire one or more companies to build out its mobile capabilities.
Now speculation has turned to Broadcom, which would offer expertise not only in chips for mobile devices, but also in the networking infrastructure space.
However, it would come at a hefty price. Industry analysts have said Intel would have to offer in the range of $50 a share, which would make the total cost of the deal about $30 billion.
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